PROVIDING WATER

Improved water quality and accessibility changing lives in Northeast Oklahoma

By Jared Porter

Gans, Okla., Mayor Gary McGinnis nearly broke down in tears when Cherokee Nation District 6 Councilor

Daryl Legg called him to share the good news. For the small Gans town that had been dealing with a massive water infrastructure concern for years, help was finally on the way.

And all it took was one chance meeting between McGinnis and Councilor Legg at a Cherokee Nation event in the spring of 2022.

“It was my first time meeting Councilor Legg, and we just talked and talked about Gans,” McGinnis said. “And when I told him that we had a water infrastructure problem that could be catastrophic to our town, he heard me. I never imagined that conversation would lead to him calling me with a solution just weeks later.”

The solution came in the form of a $500,000 contribution from Cherokee Nation to Gans to help significantly bolster the town’s water infrastructure needs and make a positive impact on the community for generations to come.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., Deputy Chief Bryan Warner, Chief of Staff Corey Bunch and Councilor Legg visited Gans later in the year and met with town officials to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the contribution, which will be used to replace water lines to Gans’ existing water storage tank and allow the town to install an additional water storage tank, gate valves and fire hydrants.

Gans is just one of dozens of communities that benefited from more than $100 million the Cherokee Nation allocated in 2022 alone to kickstart water and sewer infrastructure projects throughout the reservation. In 2022, the projects benefited well over 8,000 Native families.

The Gans project will strengthen the water infrastructure for a community of nearly 300 people, many of whom are Cherokee citizens.

“We learned a few years ago that our main water line is old and deteriorating, and we’ve already seen evidence of it containing small leaks,” McGinnis said. “If that worsens and the main line falters altogether, then our entire community will be without water. So when I got that call from Councilor Legg and he told me he had $500,000 he wanted us to have to fix those concerns, I about cried. I mean, I was emotional and just speechless. It was like an answered prayer for this community.”

Part of the Gans project will be the addition of 270 water meters.

McGinnis said families and businesses interested in moving to the town in recent years had been unable to do so due to a lack of water meters and water storage capacity.

“To this community, it’s much more than just a $500,000 allocation. It’s the salvation of this town,” McGinnis said. “Building a town to leave to your children, grandchildren and beyond requires the opportunity for growth. And Cherokee Nation has certainly done what it can to give us the ability to grow.”

Cherokee Nation’s efforts to provide clean water to homes across the reservation are not limited to community projects. Cherokee Nation is also assisting individual households in need of new or repaired water infrastructure in large part through the Wilma P. Mankiller and Charlie Soap Water Act signed into law in 2021, injecting millions more each year into eliminating barriers to clean water access across the reservation.

Clifford Tanner had no running water for 10 days at his home in Jay, Okla., after his private water well became faulty in January of 2023. Cherokee Nation sent a team to his home to diagnose the problem and fix it.

“I live way out in the country, and my well just quit working after 25 years,” Tanner said. “But Cherokee Nation checked everything and found out there was a bad wire in the pump. So they came out a couple of days later, pulled out the pump and fixed everything. I was just tickled to death. I was just really happy with what they did. You never understand just how much you need water for so many reasons until you don’t have it.”

Scan here to learn more about the Wilma P. Mankiller and Charlie Soap Water Act

Scan here to learn how to say the Cherokee word for “water”

Cherokee Nation citizens retain treaty-reserved hunting and fishing rights within the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Northeast Oklahoma.

Who is eligible to hunt and fish within the Cherokee Nation Reservation?

Cherokee Nation tribal citizens are eligible to hunt and fish within the Cherokee Nation Reservation in accordance with tribal laws, which requires a Cherokee Nation citizenship “blue” card or Cherokee Nation ID as a valid hunting and fishing license. Individuals who are not Cherokee citizens are eligible to hunt and fish within the reservation in accordance with state law.

Where can Cherokee Nation tribal citizens hunt?

Cherokee citizens can hunt and fish within the Cherokee Nation Reservation, subject to applicable trespassing laws and respect for private property rights.